Medieval Literature: Mona Heidari- Negar Aghaee- Mojdeh Seifi- Ameneh Shafiee- Mona Borhani- Saba Rahbari
Group Members: - Mona Heidari - Negar Aghaee - Mojdeh Seifi - Ameneh Shafiee - Mona Borhani - Saba rahbari Our Group's presentation was on Medieval literature and we worked on Julian of Norwich and her work: "The Revelations of Divine Love". Here is a summary of our presentation: ' ' Biography: Julian of Norwich, • Lived in Norwich, England in the 14th and early 15th century, • spent much of her life as an anchorite, ( a vowed religious living by herself in a small room attached to a parish church). The Revelations of Divine Love: • Julian’s remarkable book is: “''The Revelations of Divine Love”.'' • It is a book of Christian mystical devotions.'' '' • The Revelations are a description of a series of visions which opened Julian to the depths of God's unconditioned love for us in Jesus Christ. • They are noted for their spiritual depth and theological courage, for their literary elegance and the spirit of joy and humility that permeates them. As the three windows of Julian's anchor hold cell opened, one to the altar, one to the room of her lay sisters, and one to the public lane, so the life of the Order looks: • first, to the worship of God, • secondly, to the support and strength of the wider community of the Order (our Oblates and Associates), • & thirdly, to the service of others. How the book was written: • At the age of thirty, Julian was struck with a serious illness. As she prayed and prepared for death, she received a series of sixteen visions on the Passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary. • Saved from the brink of death, she dedicated her life to solitary prayer and the contemplation of the visions she had received. She wrote a short account of her visions probably soon after the event. • About twenty or thirty years after her illness, near the end of the fourteenth century, she wrote down her visions and her understanding of them. • Whereas Latin was the language of religion in her day, Julian of Norwich wrote in a straightforward Middle English, perhaps because she had no other medium in which to express herself. ' Education:' • Although Julian refers to herself as “''a simple creature unlettered”'', it is possible that she was educated and that "unlettered" means something else. It might be an expression of real modesty or imposed modesty, because she did not want to antagonize her readers. • Also, “unlettered" in the Middle Ages did not necessarily mean the inability to read or write. It might have just meant that she did not receive a formal education, because, in the Middle Ages, formal education was not available to women.' Contents of the book:' The Revelations is divided into eighty-six chapters. These chapters are gathered into larger sections as follows: • Introductory thoughts: chapters 1–3 • The first fourteen revelations, each in turn: chapters 4–43 • Thoughts about the foregoing fourteen revelations: chapters 44–63 • Revelations fifteen and sixteen in turn: chapters 64–86 • A scribal postscript Chapter 1: • The first chapter begins with a single sentence introduction: “This is a Revelation of Love that Jesus Christ, our endless bliss, made in Sixteen Shewings, or Revelations particular.” • This is followed by a sentence or two describing each of the sixteen visions in turn. Chapter 2: ''' The second chapter is partly autobiographical. Julian mentions her illness, but in a spiritual manner. She reflects on three '''gifts from God: • meditation on the Passion of Christ, • meditation on her own suffering • and the gift of greater piety (which she calls wounds). Chapter 3: • In the third chapter, which concludes the introduction, Julian writes more concretely about the events of her illness and her preparation for death by receiving the last rites. • The introduction ends with Julian's recounting of her sudden recovery as she lay on her deathbed gazing at a shining image of the cross. The individual revelations are as follows: • The Crown of Thorns and God's love for all that is made — the hazelnut • The face of Jesus on the Cross • All creation is in God's wise care • The scourging of Jesus, and the spilling of his blood • The evil one defeated by the cross • God's gifts of thanks to those who serve him • God comforts those whether in good times or bad • The death of Christ • The love for humanity that brought Christ to his Passion fills the heavens • The broken heart of Jesus for love of the world • Mary, mother of Jesus • The glory of Christ • The great deed of God's making amends for our sin, which prevents us, and that he will make all things well • God is the ground of our beseeching: he inspires us to pray and gives us what is needful • Our coming up above: resurrection • Christ dwells in the souls of those who love him 'quotes from Julian: ' • 'As truly as God is our Father ,so truly God is our Mother.' • 'There is no wrath in God….It is the most impossible thing that can be that God would be angry, for wrath and friendship are two opposites.‘